To kick off National Motorcycle Safety Awareness Month (May), Allstate Insurance Company will continue its efforts to donate standardized warning signs for motorcycle safety with its “Once is Never Enough” (ONE) program with the first installation of 2013. ONE is an awareness campaign that encourages people to look twice for motorcycles at intersections and aims to help reduce the number of motorcycle crashes at intersections by proposing installations of permanent motorcycle warning signs in 20 U.S. cities this year. Additionally, a new Allstate Motorcycle Facebook mapping application was created in response to the numerous requests from the rider community to help bring awareness to other hazardous road conditions. Continue Reading »

The Motorcycle Safety Foundation announced it has updated the curriculum for its Basic RiderCourse training program. The updates include new classroom content as well as new practical exercises, with a strong emphasis on collision avoidance.

The MSF‘s updates are the product of $2.4 million worth of research which began in 2010. The new curriculum includes approximately 40% more content on rider perception and finding escape paths, 30% more on negotiating curves and cornering and 15% more practice time for swerving and other crash-avoidance skills. Continue Reading »

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has levied a $125,000 fine against Southern Honda Powersports following an investigation into allegations the Chattanooga, Tenn., dealership sold unrepaired recalled models. Southern Honda Powersports bills itself as the “World’s largest Honda powersports dealer”.

Federal laws require dealers to stop selling models that are recalled until the defect or noncompliance issue has been remedied. A NHTSA investigation concluded Southern Honda Powersports had sold and delivered 329 recalled motorcycles between 2007 and 2012 without inspecting or repairing any defects.

Southern Honda Powersports denies the allegations, which were sparked allegations raised last October. The dealership reached a settlement with NHTSA to pay a sum of $125,000 to the U.S. Treasury in installments of $25,000 a year until 2017. Under the terms of the agreement, Southern Honda Powersports admits to no liability or culpability. Without this agreement, the dealership faced a potential fine of up to $6,000 per vehicle, which could have amounted to $1,974,000. Continue Reading »

X Games organizer ESPN announced it is discontinuing the extreme sports event’s Moto X and Snowmobile Best Trick competitions.

The announcement comes six weeks after the death of Freestyle Snowmobile competitor Caleb Moore who succumbed to injuries on following a crash Jan. 24 at the Winter X Games at Aspen. Moore was attempting a backflip on his snowmobile but instead under-rotated. Moore was thrown from his sled which, after catching on the ground, landed on him. Moore was able to get up under his own strength and was treated for a concussion, but it later turned out he suffered from a heart contusion and a complication with his brain. Moore died Jan. 31, a week after the accident.

ESPN says the decision to cancel the Moto X and Snowmobile Best Trick events was not directly tied to Moore’s death. Continue Reading »

The European Parliament voted overwhelmingly in favor of new rules that would increase emission standards and make anti-lock braking systems mandatory for all new large motorcycles, scooters and trikes and quads by 2016. The new regulations, which would still need approval from European Union member states, may only directly affect Europe, but they will have a wide-reaching affect on manufacturers’ product development for other markets. BMW, for example, has already made ABS standard for all its motorcycles for 2013.

Approved by a vote of 643 in favor and 16 against with 18 abstentions, the new rules would make ABS required for new street bikes produced in 2016 and beyond with engine displacements larger than 125cc. Smaller motorcycles will be required to have either ABS or a combined braking system. The European Parliament will revisit the issue pending a report on cost-effectiveness for ABS on smaller vehicles, expected for completion by 2019.

The legislation would also extend Euro 4 emission standards to new motorcycles by 2016 and Euro 5 by 2020. Motorcycles currently have to meet Euro 3 restrictions but the Euro 4 standard further tightens standards for carbon monoxide, hydrocarbons and nitrogen oxides. By 2020, motorcycles will fall under the even stricter Euro 5 standard, meeting even lower nitrogen oxide levels and a new restriction for non-methane hydrocarbons. Continue Reading »

BMW announced it will make anti-lock brakes standard equipment across its entire lineup starting with the 2013 model year.

The German manufacturer became the first to introduce ABS into serial production motorcycles in 1988 and now 25 years later, BMW will be the first to offer ABS across all of its models. BMW has already announced two 2013 models that will come with ABS, the updated F800GS and the F700GS.

The decision to make ABS standard comes as as pre-emptive step ahead of new legislation expected to make ABS required for all new motorcycles by 2013. ABS is also a cornerstone of BMW’s new “Safety 360°” principle, the manufacturer’s new three-pronged philosophy for rider safety. Continue Reading »

AGV has unveiled its PistaGP helmet, the first product of the AGV Standards program that creates a helmet’s fit from a laser scan of the rider’s head.

Traditional helmets designs begin with the outer shell first, with the internals designed after, resulting in helmets that fit various generic head shapes. That’s not a problem if your head is one of those shapes. Otherwise, you’ll usually have to sacrifice some element of comfort for a decent overall fit.

AGV Standards starts with the inside first, with laser scanners creating a digital version of a rider’s head. This digital scan can be used to create a 3D model with exact measurements various contours on the head. For the PistaGP, AGV recruited MotoGP star Valentino Rossi to help with development.

Continue Reading »

Honda is issuing a recall for the 2001-2010 and 2012 Gold Wing due to a problem with the combined braking system. The recall campaign affects 126,000 units sold in the U.S. over the past decade.

According to Honda, the Gold Wing may experience rear brake drag even after the rider releases the brake. The problem is caused by secondary master cylinder of the combined braking system.

Continue Reading »

Alpinestars’ Tech Air suit has been included in “Popular Science” magazine’s Best of What’s New list for its coming December 2011 issue.

The MotoGP-derived wireless airbag-equipped racing suit was one of eight products named in the annual award’s “Recreation” category for its safety features.

The Tech Air suit tracks the wearer’s body movements. When the sensors pick up an unusual movement indicating an impending crash, it triggers two nitrogen-based gas canisters in the suit which inflates two airbags protecting the rider’s shoulders and collarbone.

Continue Reading »

Dainese will showcase the street version of its D-air airbag suit at the EICMA motorcycle show, Nov. 8-13 in Milan, Italy.

The D-air Street system comes a year after Dainese presented the racing version at last year’s EICMA show. Unlike the D-air Racing system, the D-air Street is made up of two parts, a suit portion and a unit that attaches to a motorcycle.

The motorcycle-mounted unit has accelerometer sensors on the fork and frame to sense impending slides or impacts. The unit wirelessly relays information to the wearable suit and can trigger the 12l airbags, protecting the rider and/or pillion passenger wearing the suits.

Continue Reading »